GLEE Actress Cast as CBS's SUPERGIRL

By Chris Arrant, Editor January 22, 2015 11:03am ET

Credit: DC Comics

Melissa Benoist on "Glee"

Credit: Fox

There's a new girl on the TV superhero block. A Supergirl.

Glee and Whiplash actress Melissa Benoist has been cast in the upcoming CBS drama Supergirl. Produced by Warner Bros. Television, Supergirl is planned as a one-hour drama centered on Supergirl – a.k.a. Kara Zor-El – who followed her cousin Superman to earth after the destruction of Krypton. Kara Zor-El becomes Kara Danvers after she’s taken in by a foster family on Earth.

The drama will deal with the 24-year-old Supergirl - who kept her powers hidden all her life - as she begins to embrace the powers our yellow sun provides her and gradually becomes the hero she’s destined to be after an “unexpected disaster” reveals Kara's powers to the public.

Benoist comes to Supergirl after her role as Marley Rose Fox’s Glee. She rose up the ranks from recurring actor to series regular with the show’s fifth season. Interesting enough, in a superhero-themed episode of Glee, Benoist masqueraded as “Woman Fierce” for her musical performance. Grant Gustin, who plays the lead in The Flash, is also a Glee alum.

Benoist can currently be seen opposite Mr. Fantastic and J. Jonah Jameson - aka Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons - as Nicole in the Oscar-nominated Whiplash.